And I missed the golden gate! :)

"I list your gifts in this creation:

Pen, paper, ink and inspiration.."

Music and Literature have been always the similes/metaphors for me, or for that matter~ all the Arts. And that's why when I read An Equal Music by Vikram Seth, I fell in love with it, right at that moment. There were other reasons too, like my favorite people loving that book, so this was an add on factor. 

I actually ran across the works of Bach, Beethoven and those German magicians who made western classical seem great for me. Symphony number 9 has definitely been included in my daily chores, like when I cook, when I eat, when I read, this has to go on. But the credit certainly goes to Vikram Seth. He made me love Viola, the musical notes~do re mi fa so la ti :)
But above all, I fell in love with the way he understood a woman's heart, her vulnerability. 

Today, I met him. I saw him read his poems, oh the charm! Thanks to Penguin India for organizing the Spring Fever event. The way he read his poems, reminded me of Dylan's "The years shall run like rabbits" in Before Sunrise. He has an amazing sense of humor and I was mesmerized by his voice. He answered every question in a poetic manner, rhyming impromptu. One of them asked him, what should be the key element to become a good writer/poet. He smiled and said, 
"Well poor bird she should have known.
That song must be your own"

He did quote Frost, which was of course so very apt for that moment~ "All the fun's in how you say a thing."

I had grabbed my copy so as to get his signature on the very first page of "An Equal Music". The queue was indeed too long and it took me an hour to get that. But then, I kept myself busy by talking to the fellow passengers of the queue. We had to write our names on a small note so that he writes for us. I had written in Caps, Nishpriha. After sometime, I was playing with my pen and so some words came into my mind. 

I wrote on the same note, 
"Well, this was a little long to wait
But your signature was a bait."

I moment my turn came, I stood there smiling in front of him, thinking he will read it. But he didn't and I didn't say anything either. He wrote my name and I was about to go. Suddenly, he saw it and laughed. He tore that page and said, "I am going to keep this Nishpriha." and I smiled as an affirmative gesture. He said, "And you missed the golden gate"
ha ha, a laughter from me and a reply, "Oh Alas, but now that is my fate" :)
Again, he said, "This is going to be in my pocket!" and he kept it right there! I can't describe how elated I felt. 

This was indeed one of the happiest moments of my life. March, you're still on. Whosoever warned about the Ides of March should also know how wonderful March can be sometimes. (I definitely meant "A lot of times)